from Lenae, GEMS Training Manager
The
Message of a Changed Life
When all
the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the same
man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were
filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
He’d been carried since birth; first in
his mother’s arms, then by the kindness of others. Each day people delivered
him to the entrance of the temple at a gate called Beautiful. As they hoisted
his weight was his heart as burdened as his body felt?
That was certainly his posture. Head hung
eye level to his beggar’s cup, his lame legs, and the heels of all those who
walked into the temple, Peter instructed him to “Look at us!” So the man
gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them (Acts
3:4b-5).
The change he was expecting was not what
he received or even needed most. While he held out his cup for temporal change
that does not last or satisfy, Jesus’ power and presence poured in and changed
him.
In the name of Jesus he received healing
in his legs and in his heart. No longer sitting at the entrance of the temple,
he was on his feet in the temple courts walking, leaping, and praising God!
The physical and spiritual change in this
man’s life drew a crowd. People were filled with wonder and amazement at what
had happened to him. They were astonished by what they saw.
The man held on to Peter and John, while
they held out the life-changing message of Jesus! Look! Listen! Jesus is the
One Moses told you about and Isaiah foretold. Then will the lame leap like a
deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the
wilderness and streams in the desert (Isaiah
35:6). Jesus is the One who heals, wipes out sins, and refreshes
souls (Acts
3:16, 19)!
When people witness a changed life, they
want to know more. When Jesus changed the Samaritan woman, many of the
Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony (John
4:39). When Jesus healed Aeneas all those who lived in Lydda and Sharon
saw him and turned to the Lord (Acts
9:35). When Jesus healed the lame man at the temple many who heard Peter
and John’s message believed; so the number of men who believed grew to about
five thousand (Acts
4:4).
Send Me: What do people witness in our lives?
How has God changed you? Collect stories–yours
and those of others (but give credit where credit is due). Become a storyteller.
Richard Peace
